Light Sea Casserole

A sea casserole is one of the easiest and most impressive dishes you can serve. Flounder fillets, shrimps and minced vegetables steam together above a ginger seaweed broth perfumed with clamshells and oysters. No half-shell treatment required as the heating will naturally insure the opening of the shells. The same broth is used in a reduction finished with a dash of heavy cream and a generous sprinkle of pepper. The secret is all in the timing of the different cooking stages from immersion of the shells to the steaming of vegetables and then the fish. The taste is naturally briny. The earth vegetable needs a generous sprinkle of salt to match the one naturally contained in the sea products. I like to soak my bread in the sauce. If you feel more Japanese than French, sushi rice will fulfill the same function.

The dish feeds 4.

Sea casserole

(Easy, Preparation and cooking time: 15 minutes, Cheap)

Ingredients:

4 small flounder fillets

1 inch (2.5 cm) ginger root piece

8 oysters

8 clams

8 raw shrimps shell reserved

1 cup Japanese seaweeds (Hiziki, Arame)

1 Kombu sheet

2 leeks

Several leaves of Chinese cabbage,

8 carrots

¼ cup (60 ml) heavy cream

Salt and Pepper

Material:

1 fish steamer

1 food processor mincing attachment on

Salad bowl

Strainer

Saucepan

       Place the seaweeds in a salad bowl and cover with cold water.

       Carefully clean the oysters shells and clamshells in cold water.

       Cut off the greens from the leeks. Slice off the bottom and immerge in cold water. Remove the outer leaves from the cabbage and wash 6 of the internal leaves. Peel the carrots and slice off the bottom part. Grate all the vegetables in the food processor.

Fill the steamer ¼ of the way with water, the sliced ginger root and a Kombu sheet (the basis of dashi soup in Japan). When the water boils, remove the kombu sheet and add the reconstituted seaweeds. At the boiling point, add the oysters, clamshell and the shells of the shrimps. When they open, remove oysters and clamshells. Reserve until ready to serve.

Strain a cup worth of broth and place in a saucepan to reduce with the cream.

Return the bottom part of the steamer with its remaining content to the gas stove. Insert the upper part of the steamer with the minced vegetables and a spoonful of salt in the steamer. Cover and steam for 10 minutes. Add the fish and shrimps. Turn the gas off after three minutes.

Place a layer of vegetables on each plate. Top with the fish fillet, clams and oysters meat and shrimps. Pour generously the creamy broth on top and serve.